Keith Hahn (Photo: Ocean County Jail)
Prosecutors in Ocean County said Tuesday that a man suspected of kidnapping and raping a teenager after offering to drive her to an animal shelter will remain behind bars.
The prosecutor’s office confirmed that Superior Court Judge David M. Fritch ruled Tuesday that Keith Hahn, 46, will remain in jail while facing charges of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, kidnapping, luring, and endangering the welfare of a child. The charges are in connection with an incident that occurred in Toms River on Sept. 29, 2024.
Hahn has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail since his apprehension on October 1, 2024. The detention hearing was handled by Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Victoria Veni.
An investigation into the shocking crime began when Manchester Township police were contacted by the 14-year-old girl reporting that she had been sexually assaulted by an unknown male. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and Toms River police showed that the victim had been walking on Route 70 in Manchester Township when she became lost. A male operating a white Jeep Grand Cherokee stopped and talked to the victim. The victim asked the driver to take her to the animal shelter in Toms River, but instead, the man drove the victim to an area in Toms River and sexually assaulted her.
The male then drove the victim to the Walmart in Toms River; the victim exited the vehicle and ran home, prosecutors said.
An ensuing investigation conducted by Toms River police, the prosecutor’s office and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Hahn – a registered Megan’s Law offender – was the individual responsible for sexually assaulting the victim, a statement said.
According to the New Jersey State Police sex offender database, Hahn, who lives on Parkside Avenue in Toms River, was convicted in 1995 of sexual assault with penetration. Hahn “isolated and offended against female victims,” the database stated. It also confirmed his ownership of the Jeep. He is considered a “Tier II” offender, which indicates a “moderate” risk of re-offending.
